How To Cook Rice
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: Saturday, December 12, 2009 - 12:26am

Ingredients




Rice
Water

Preparation

1 A few notes first, especially since the Chinese method is rather different from the usual directions you'll find on packages of rice in the US: 2 Use only long-grain rice. Medium and short-grain rice are naturally stickier than long-grain, so if you want dry and fluffy, don't use those types. Jasmine rice and Basmati tend to vary in results with this method. 3 I've had them come out fine sometimes, and other times they've been a little sticky. 4 This method involves rinsing the rice before cooking to wash off excess rice powder, which contributes to the stickiness. Nutritionists will tell you, however, that by doing this, you're losing a lot of the nutrients and vitamins. However, unless rice is such a staple part of your diet that it should be providing a hefty dose of your USRDA, it's not worth worrying about. 5 DO NOT STIR your rice while it's cooking. This also releases more starch, thus contributes to stickiness. 6 Don't use butter; if you want it, add it after the rice is cooked, when serving. 7 Watch the rice during the first part of the cooking over medium-high heat. 8 When it gets to where it has foamy bubbles on top, you don't want to have reached that point too fast. If you do, you'll have boiled off too much water, and the rice won't have had time to absorb enough water for it to get fully cooked during the steaming. This is the part that takes a little practice. (g) You want a good amount of bubbles and foam, not just a bit; but there shouldn't be any visible level of water showing. The time it takes will vary on different stoves, so you just have to keep an eye on it. All this applies to white rice. If you're using brown, you may have to adjust the water. I'm not sure, as I never use brown rice, but I believe it may need more water than white rice does.